The Genshin Concert 2024 series “Melodies of an Endless Journey” is in its second year running. It revisits major destinations around the world, namely Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea, Indonesia, Germany, France, and the United States, giving fans the opportunity to appreciate Genshin Impact‘s music live.
I went for its debut in Singapore last year and attended this year’s as well, which was in a totally different location, moving from Esplanade to The Star Performing Arts Centre.
Just like last year, we cycled through the music from each region in order of which they’re released: Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma, Sumeru, Fontaine, and a surprising-but-not-so-surprising Natlan encore at the end, the latest Pyro region released in version 5.0 in August. Last year’s encore was Fontaine, so fans were definitely expectant.
Genshin Concert 2024 in Singapore was performed by the Metropolitan Festival Orchestra and Thai conductor Thanapol Setabrahmana, the same talent responsible for last year’s repertoire. Here’s what went down and how it compares to the previous year.
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I did not check out the set list before the concert, and even without it, it was obvious that the organizers deliberately chose songs that were much less ambitious than before. This is actually a good thing because they’re working within orchestral, arrangement, and stage limitations, among others.
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Compared to the full-on mothership Genshin Concert in China, which truly is a spectacle, having a Genshin Impact concert elsewhere localized in each city will never be the same. We all know that the game’s music is heavily inspired by cultures all around the world, so it’s not always easy to import a local Chinese, Indian, or Middle Eastern instrument and its accompanying musician just for one song.
That doesn’t mean fans can’t have a good time, of course. Compared to 2023, this year also saw instrument substitution, but its numbers were reduced, and therefore transitions were much smoother.
On top of this, fewer songs were performed but each with a longer duration, weaving in medleys. This definitely made the viewing experience more cohesive.
Another thing that stood out was that many demos were covered, and therefore more accompanying multimedia played on the big screen. Music from special events were added too, played alongside OSTs from the main Archon storyline.
Despite all the new content and new music that’s consistently added to the game, a Genshin concert wouldn’t be complete without the classics — A Day in Mondstadt, Liyue, and Rex Incognito.
Just like the crowd at Esplanade last year, we screamed the loudest when Zhongli’s demo came on. Old but gold. This is becoming tradition and I’m all for it. Screams were also heard when Nahida and the Wanderer’s storyline appeared and when Alhaitham’s demo dropped.
Even though it’s unfortunate that the Genshin Concert isn’t held in an actual concert hall where acoustics are at its best, the strength of Star Theater is its audiovisual capabilities. The lighting effects were carefully chosen to match the game’s visuals, which established the mood quickly and created just the right ambience for the audience to appreciate each unique track.
As a musician, however, I personally prefer to prioritize acoustics — a two-night Genshin Concert at Esplanade is worth more than one at any other venue.
What’s more, because the Star Theater has a much larger seating capacity, I didn’t get a sense of community since everyone was so spread out across three large floors. Compare this to a smaller venue at Esplanade where we’re surrounded by cosplayers, where we could interact with fellow players before the start, during intermission, and after, instead of constantly being redirected by security.
Hopefully Genshin Concerts will continue its annual runs, adding more improvements in the future. Naturally these we’re not listening to the true original score live, but we didn’t sign up for that anyway. Adapted arrangements put together thoughtfully and performed live has its own charm and is no less satisfying to listen to.
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